7 Gymnastic Tips from CrossFit Games Athlete Kari Pearce

These tips come direct from Kari Pearce herself. I recently attended an excellent seminar that she led at Argo Athletics in Berlin where she worked through all the following drills, workouts and tips.

Her favourite gymnastic exercises are handstand walks and her least favourite are toes to bar. She considers grip strength to be a weakness of hers that she is currently working on in order to improve.

1. THE HANDSTAND HOLD IS ALL IN THE FINGERTIPS

A strong core is obviously essential to maintain the handstand hold, but according to Kari, controlling the movement with your fingertips is where the real skill lies. Splay your fingertips slightly and press them hard against the floor. This will help you to balance and control the exercise.

Fixing a point on the floor can also help you to maintain a rigid body position without swaying around too much.

2. HOLLOW ROCKS AND HOLDS NEED TO BE A HUGE PART OF YOUR TRAINING

When Kari competed as a gymnast she would regularly be required to hold a 5 minute hollow hold as part of her normal training sessions. Give this a try and see how long you can hold one for. This is a good test to use for testing your core strength to see if it is improving as it is easily measurable.

When it comes to technique for both hollow holds and rocks, pick a point on ceiling to stare at and fix your eyes on it.

3. WORK ON STRICT MOVEMENTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Strict movements build the strength that you need to move and control your body through all the other gymnastic exercises. They also strengthen tendons and ligaments and help to build strong motor patterns and improve proprioception. Try this WOD from Kari:

KARI PEARCE STRICT PULL UP WORKOUT

20 seconds on, 20 seconds rest

Strict pull ups. Slow every descent to take 3 seconds.

8 rounds total.

4. MAXIMISE YOUR EFFICIENCY WITH BUTTERFLY TECHNIQUE

Generate the power from the hips

Keep your legs together

Hips pop open as you go up and round

kick and scoop the movement

In her seminar, Kari stressed the importance of keeping tight movement patterns and always focusing on your form. A drill she uses is to start in small circles then move into larger movements until you are performing the full movement. Do this in 3 sets of 6 reps.

5. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF ENDURANCE IN GYMNASTIC WORKOUTS

Kari stressed the importance of building up a good resistance to fatigue in Gymnastics. Technique and movement are so important, but you must also be able to maintain these during longer workouts.

GYMNASTIC ENDURANCE WORKOUT

Advanced

10 sets of kipping pull ups.

20 -35% of your max unbroken set.

30 seconds rest between sets

Beginner

8 mins sets of 5 – 10 reps

30 seconds rest between sets

Tape your thumbs up and wrap them around the bar.

6. RING DIPS SHOULD BE A STAPLE PART OF YOUR UPPER BODY TRAINING

Strict ring dips are a great way to build powerful chest, arm and shoulder strength for your body. They also help to improve your balance and coordination.

Keep the rings pointed straight, or turn them out slightly to make the movement even harder.